Ball-bearing with ball-retaining device.



BALL BEARING WITH BALL RETAINING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IuNE 29. I9I2. I

1,147,685. Patented July 20, 1915.

Fig. 5r.

Wi'nesses Inventor UMa-nn :sr-ares rafrnnr orrroia.

ERNST SACHS, OIEiSCHVVEINIEURT, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BEARINGSCOMPANY OF AMERICA, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF-NEWJERSEY.

BALL-BEARING WITH BALL-RETAINING DEVICE. i

Specification of Letters Patent.,

i Application led .Tune 29, 1,912. Serial No. 706,740.

ToaZZ whom 'it may concern:

y Be it known that I, ERNST SACHS, a subject of the King of Bavaria,residing at No. 23 Schultesstrass'e, Schweinfurt, in Germany, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Ball-Bearings withBall-Retaining Devices, of which the following is a spec'iiication,

This'invention relates to means for spacing and retaining the balls inan annular ball-bearing in which `the balls run between y Stamped outfrom sheet-metal, the said spacing member being undulated or of sinuousshape by laterally bending it to and fro, so that, when `placed in abearing and filled with balls it passes .alternately between the ballsto the .one andthe other sides ofthe bearing; the pockets formedby thecrimps located alternately on the opposite faces of the spacer-ringembrace the balls on their adjacent sides and on onev outer side.devicesare well known `(and disclosed in the patents to Jackson L.Straub, No. 887,356, dated May 12, 1908, and Ernst Sachs, No. 888,266,dated May 19, 1908), but are defective in so far as special means arerequired to hold the balls against falling out of the retaining ring,when vthe bearing is decomposed or the filling apertures allow the easyescaping of the balls from the grooves.

The object of the invention is to provide a' spacer ring of the saidconstruction in which the balls are firmly and securely held andaccurately guided in the middle of the track, in or ler toobtain-perfect working of the bearing, at the same time facilitating theplacing of the balls into the bearing. This object is attained byforming further bends or crimps in the spacer ring, and thecharacteristic feature of the spacer ringfaccording to this inventionresides in the provision of the said additional bends at the back orbottom of the ball-encircling pockets and in Suchv .ratente/July 2o,19.15.

so disposing the said bends outwardly with` respect to said pockets asto enlarge the rear part or bottoms of the pockets, thus facilitatingthe free movement and limited-play of the balls therein, while formingprojec- .tions which are directed into the mouth or open side or entryof the adjoining pockets located in the opposite face of the retainingring, which pockets thereby are narrowed at their entry and 4so formedthat they partly pass aroundthe balls contained therein and p reventescaping of the same. The vsaid bends being formed on the back of thesingle pockets, only a distance apart of the balls corresponding to thethickness of -the sheet metal is required, as the crimps. may looselyencircle the balls allowingv them a'very little lplay to minimizefriction. i hand, the bends provided on the compara- 1 On the othertively rigid. back are not liable-to be deformed, while not prejudicing'the elasticity 1 of' the part located between, andspacing the ballsfrom one another.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a. part ofthis specification aball-sepay rating ring embodying the invention, is illustrated 1n twoconstructions.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of a ball .bearing and of a spacer-ringconstructed,

according to the present invention mounted therein, the section beingtaken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2i's a sidefelevation of the ballbearing and ofv the spacer-ring shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transversesection of the spacer-ring on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, shown in adeveloped form; and Fig.

4 is a similar section through another constructional form of thespacer-ring.

Similar' reference characters denote similar parts throughout-allfiguresof the drawing. j

Referring to'Figs. 1 to 3, the retaining device is substantially a iiatring of serpentine form and is passed through between the successiveballs c alternately yfrom one side to the other of the series of balls,so that it forms bends or pockets which are open alternately, on oneface and the other of the ring. In the pocketsy formed by each of thesebends or crimpsb is held a. ball c,

.which balls\ therefore have to be inserted some from one side and-others from the other side. The parts of the serpentine 'bends whichlie between the balls form sepathe balls bearl with just so muchclearance as will enable them to rotate freely without any considerableamount of friction. The bends I) may also be provided in the middle ofthe bottoms of the pockets with depressions f which it part of thesurface of the balls c and partially embrace the latter while at thesame time they contribute to' the coninto the mouths of open portions orentries f of the adjacent peckets,'or oppositely directed bends I), andpartially surround the respective balls which are thereby securely heldin their pockets. `The projections z, may be produced either previouslyto or after the insertion of the balls into their pockets; in the formerease the balls must be forced in at the constricted or narrowed entry ormouth, forA which purpose the spacer ring must possess a certain degreeof elasticity. By the projections h the walls d themselves receiveserpentine form and they are thereby caused to come into contact withthe periphery of each ballna-tnsevreral points. which improves theguiding action-- At thc same time that part. of the.4 e walls Z againstwhich the balls bear-on both from each other. The ball-spacing ring ispreferably bentup out of a strip of metal or from a flat sheet metalring. into the particular serpentine form, whereby the desiredelasticity is obtained of itself. l

The projections z, present the advantage to hold the balls securely intheir proper position and location. This is of particular importancewhen the ball vbearing in which.

the device is to be used is provided on one side oily of the ball -racewith a lateral shoulder, or when the usual recesses la (Fig. 2) in thelateral shoulders of the grooves are utilized for the introduction ofthe balls into the bearing.

rlhe ball-spacing ring mayube secured in a bearing in the followingmanner for example. One half of the balls is iirst in-. t'roduced intothe ball grooves and distributed over the periphery of the bearing afterwhich the spacer-ring is pushed into the bearing `and over the ballsfrom the side, the latter passinginto the pockets in the one face ofthespacer-ring. lVhen the projections lz, are produced previously the ballssnap into the bends owing to the elasticity of the ring. The remainingballs are then forced singly throughthe openings f: on. the other sideof the ball bearing into the racegrooves and at the same time'into thebends on the other side of the spacer-ring. The

projections h on the respective side of the ring are preferably all orpart of them produced after the introduction of the balls.

It is then no longer possible for the balls to fall through the openingsk, as they are securely held in theball bearing by the projections L onthe spacer-ring. In the modification shown in Fig. 4: only the bends b1on one side of the ball-spacing ring are provided withprojectionsin?,while those Z22 on the other'side arev of circular shapev andconsequently lie around the balls 01 at the larger part `of theirperiphery.

This construction of the ball-spacing ring lmav be convenientlyemployed-Qin a ball bearing which has the openings lc on one side only,while on the other side the shoulder is unbroken so that on this side itis not necessary toprovide means for r'preventing'the balls from fallingout. Thedepressions l may also, or may not be employed upon thebends b1.

As hereinbefore disclosed, the invention can be embodied in variousways. l

. lVhat I, therefore, claim as my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

l. A ball retaining and separating device consisting of a ring bent toform valternately on oppositesides thereof in close relationballreceiving pockets having separating walls which extend from thebottom of the pocket on converging lines to form a constricted mouth,whereby a series of ballsare @confined in alinement and caused"to`travelin the same track.

2. A ball retaining and spacing device forl ball bearings consisting ofa metal plate bent to and fro so as to form alternately on oppositesides thereof'in close relation ballreceiving pockets', the separatingWalls of each pocket extending on converginglines toward its mouthsuliiciently around the ball inserted therein to retain such ball insuch vocket when the device is removed from the iearings. 1

3. A ball retaining and separating device consisting of a substantiallyflat ring bent flatwise to and fro at an angle to the axis of rotationof the ball to form alternately on opposite sides thereof closely'arranged yball-receiving pockets each having a 'constrictedmouth-adapted to prevent a ball therein" from dropping out and enlargedtoward its bottom', whereby the balls areV confined in close relationand alined in a single annular series to cause them to travel in thesame track.

.Y f 4.- lA ball retaining and-.separating device l comprising. 'a`substantially flat ring bent to form alternately lon opposite sidesthereof in close relation ball-receiving pockets with separating wallseach extending from the bottom of the pocket towardits mouth at an angleto theaxisof the ring, thereby form-- ing aconstricted mouth, wherebythe balls are confined' inv closeY relation ina single 'annular seriesand alined totravel in j` the' same track.

5.- A ball retaining 'and `separating device comprising a substantiallyflat ring bentI to form alternately on opposite sides thereof closely.arranged ball-receiving pockets with vseparating walls disposed at'anan'glevtoA the axis of the ring, each wall having a bend'to provide aball seat or contact point at each side thereof and said walls beingshaped to provide a'pocket enlarging toward its bottom and having aconstricted mouth,v whereby the balls are conined in close relation andalined so 'as to'travel in the same track.

6. A spacer for ball bearings consisting of a ring bent to formalternate oppositely- .opening ball-receiving pockets, each. pocket ofthe ring being adapted to suiiici'ently surround a ball inserted thereinto retain such ball in such pocket, each pocket being approximatelyangular in contour to contact with the ball at-several separated pointsand having an outwardly projecting bend in itsbottom,Y and outwardlyvprojecting minor i.

bends proj ectin'gi linto'and constricting the mouths of the,adjacelilif-mockets. A '57. A ball retaining any "separating devicecomprising an4 aimuluslbentlaterally to and fro in serpentine `formv soas to provide a series of pocketsaranged in close relation and openingalternately on opposite sidesv thereof the bottomsof the pocketsat'eachf side of the ring. being arranged in substantially the same plai'ie,and said pockets bei ing separated one Afrom anotherbya wall whichextendsifrom the bottom of the pocket 'so as to gradually approach theconfronting wall andprovide a constricted mouth.

8.' A ball retaining and separating device comprising a ring-shaped bodyhaving a series of pockets -opening alternately onoposite sides of thering and separated one rom another by a wall which gradually approachesthe vopposite Wall' so as to form a constricted mouth, said pocketsenlarging toward their bottoms and having vangular bends at oppositesides of the .bottom which project and-'constrict themouth of the'pocket

